Ohtani will be expanding his role following the outpour of support from the recently announced brand partnership

TOKYO, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani, has been named Global Ambassador of the world’s No. 1 unsweetened green tea beverage, ‘Oi Ocha.’ Ohtani, who was announced as the brand’s Global Ambassador on April 30, will be expanding his role for the company, following the excitement and global attention from the partnership announcement.

The flurry of excitement and exposure across top digital, print, broadcast, and social outlets globally led to swift product sales, rising stock prices, and trending conversations across platforms.

“I am honored to be appointed as ‘Oi Ocha’ Global Ambassador,” says Ohtani. “When the global partnership with ‘Oi Ocha’ was announced on April 30, I saw the newspaper ad in the LA Times and got a sense of the scale of this partnership. I was also surprised at the response I received from social media and people around me.

“The first phase of my activities as ITO EN’s ‘Oi Ocha’ Global Ambassador is a campaign to invite everyone to a drawing to watch a game in LA. I would be thrilled if you could watch the game at the stadium in LA while drinking ‘Oi Ocha.’

“In the future, as ITO EN’s ‘Oi Ocha’ Global Ambassador, I am preparing new initiatives such as a project to spread Japan’s tea culture to the world and further contribute to the future of the earth with green tea together with everyone around the world. I hope you are all looking forward to it.”

“Ohtani’s appointment as ‘Oi Ocha’ Global Ambassador comes at a pivotal moment for ITO EN as the company continues to innovate and expand its product offerings to meet the evolving tastes and preferences of consumers worldwide,” says Daisuke Honjo, President of ITO EN, Ltd. “With Ohtani’s unique blend of athleticism, cultural influence, and authentic, long-held love for green tea, ‘Oi Ocha’ is poised to reach new heights in the global beverage market, helping to promote health and wellness for people everywhere.”

As Oi Ocha Global Ambassador, Ohtani, who is a long-time fan of ‘Oi Ocha’ Green Tea, will represent the globally beloved brand’s content promotion strategy, grounded in its deep heritage and core values, including quality, ritual, sustainability, and unparalleled taste.

About ITO EN: Based on the Group’s management philosophy of “Customers First,” our mission is to help our customers lead healthy and fulfilling lives and help create a sustainable society. We are committed to providing the best taste and value of “Japanese” tea to our customers of all ages.

In order to realize our long-term vision of becoming a “Global Tea Company,” we will continue to promote ‘Oi Ocha’ as a representative Japanese brand around the world, connect with tea culture in various regions around the world, and create a new tea culture and tea market on a global scale through the ITO EN Group’s technology and value chain. Through the strong partnerships we have built with everyone associated with our company since its establishment, we will continue to contribute to the healthy and fulfilling lives of our customers in Japan and worldwide.